


Nice Horns or We Met in the Forest!

by blackrose_17



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: All moose's but Jared are jerks in this, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Animals, Bunny Chad, Bunny Danneel, Dragon Chris, Dragon JDM, F/M, Fluff, Jared is a moose puppy, Love Story between a Moose and Unicorn, M/M, Magical Animals, Protective Jensen, Romance, Unicorn Jensen, moose jared
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-11 10:38:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3324443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose_17/pseuds/blackrose_17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jared never fit in with his herd and his chances of finding a mate were next to none, but he refused to change his belief that friendship and love could be found outside of his herd. Jensen knows that his mother would love for him to settle down and start giving her more grandbabies to coo over, love just wasn't for him until he crashed into the most adorable moose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nice Horns or We Met in the Forest!

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the SPN Reverse Big Bang and I was lucky enough to work with dulcetine, please go check out her amazing art work here: http://dulcetine.livejournal.com/188271.html  
> A big thank you to my wonderful beta RoyalLadyEmma  
> Disclaimer: This is a work of fantasy and in no way real.

Deep in the most untouched wilderness of the world there is an enchanted forest where magic still exists, even though most of humanity has long forgotten the ways of the old magic that lives beside us. Yes, it is true; the ancient magicks are alive and well in this mysterious place.

This enchanted land and its magical inhabitants remained unseen by the human eye since time began because only those who truly believed would ever be able to see it. No human worthy enough to be allowed within its borders had ever stumbled across them and so they were allowed to live in peace and harmony.

This land was full of fairies, dragons, and talking animals, to name but a few; all kinds of creatures that lived in fairytales called the forest home, but that didn't mean all who dwelled in this magical woods got along.

Jared was not your typical moose; besides the fact that he could talk, he just didn’t fit in with rest of the herd. Jared knew full well that he was different; his pack mates joked that he was more like a wayward puppy with all his bounciness and clumsiness rather than a regal moose. Worst of all, Jared’s eagerness to make new friends was something his herd simply couldn't understand; for some reason there seemed to be some unwritten rule that said it wasn't allowed to make friends outside the herd. It was something that Jared thought was stupid and short-sighted and he never failed to voice his displeasure over such a selfish rule.

"This is ridiculous! Why can't I be friends with Chad? It's not like I want to mate with him, he _is_ Chad after all! I just want to hang out with him!" Jared didn't care if he did sound childish as he stamped his hoof in frustration. He was tired of this talk that moose were the superior race, they lived in a forest with honest-to-goodness dragons! Now _they_ were totally awesome and had earned the right to act superior.

A long suffering sigh came from his brother, it was a sound Jared knew all too well and it meant that Jared was in for yet another rather condescending lecture.

“Jared, I know that you have this kind of need to befriend the lower creatures and such an unselfish sentiment is kinda honourable on the surface, but you must remember that you are a moose and we simply do not associate with those lower than us." His brother Jeff let out another long suffering sigh, he couldn't understand Jared's way of thinking at all; everyone knew that moose were too good, too evolved, too exceptional to be hanging out with creatures beneath them, especially _rabbits_.

Having heard that snotty tone of voice many times Jared felt a surge of rebellion fire through him. "Fine! If I can't hang out with Chad then I'm going to go see JDM." Jared felt pleasure fill him as he saw his holier-than-thou brother wince; his herd could be as mean and nasty as they wanted to be towards the smaller creatures but when it came to JDM it was a whole other story.

Jeff knew that if he tried to stop Jared from going to see JDM he would once again walk away with singed fur; it hadn’t been easy to hide his ass from everyone until the hair had grown back. Sniffing haughtily, Jeff stuck his nose up in the air and Jared nearly giggled out loud as he wondered how his brother could possibly see where he was going with his nose that high up. Turning his back on Jared, the older moose announced, "Well at least a dragon is better than that riff-raff Chad; at least he is of a respectable class."

At this point Jared didn't bother to inform his brother that Chad was meeting him there, and since he didn't want another lecture he refused to rise to the bait and defend Chad against the remarks. "Ever stop to think that I like the riff-raff? At least they don't think they’re better than everyone else." Knowing his words were falling on deaf ears Jared saw no reason to continue with this conversation so he turned sharply on his hooves planning to seek refuge and understanding in one of the few places where he knew he could find it.

Jeff shook his head truly upset that he couldn't get through to his brother. "You'll only bring shame upon the herd as long as you keep this up. No one will ever want to mate with you," Jeff warned hoping that such a dire threat might get Jared’s attention.

Jared was grateful that his back was to his brother and Jeff couldn't see the pain in his eyes as his brother voiced Jared’s greatest fear. Jared knew full well that he was the outcast and no one bothered to hide their dislike of his breaking their unwritten rules or that they found him unworthy to be a mate. Jared just wanted to be free to find friends outside of the herd, he wanted to meet those creatures who wouldn't judge him or make him feel like he was worthless.

On the other hoof however he also wanted a family, a big one; he longed to hear the sounds of little hooves trailing after him through the forest. He wanted to pass on his moose wisdom to enquiring minds and spend the evenings with his mate reading to their calves. But as it was shaping up that was not to be, not until he found someone who could love him for who he was.

Exiting the herd’s grounds Jared wasn't surprised to see that as usual Chad wasn't right where he had left him nor was he at all surprised that after a quick glance around to spot the golden bunny that was Chad currently putting the moves on a female rabbit he had managed to sniff out. If there was one thing in this world that Jared could do without seeing or hearing it was Chad trying and/or having sex.

"Chad!" Jared called out as he lumbered over to where his friend was flirting with a pretty auburn bunny and Jared knew of only one female rabbit with fur of that colour. "Hello Danneel, you're looking lovely today and your coat seems fluffier than normal." Personally Jared thought that Danneel was a bunny way out of Chad’s league but it didn’t deter the golden rabbit in the slightest. Jared had to admire that about his friend, he never gave up even in the face of impossible odds and let’s face it, the odds of him getting such an amazing bunny like Danneel were slim to none but it didn’t stop Chad from trying.

Danneel preened under Chad’s attention until she noticed the downtrodden hunch to Jared's shoulders and then her smile turned comforting as she hopped towards the big moose and put her paw on one of his long legs. "I take it those blind fools once again opened their big mouths.”

Jared looked down at the pretty bunny and nodded. Danneel was a good listener and she understood what prats the other moose could be.

“Don't listen to them, Jared; they have no idea what they’re talking about. In fact I think they’re all just jealous of the fact that you are so well liked by the rest of us and they’re no better than dirt in our eyes. Don’t take anything they have to say to heart, I promise that anyone would be lucky to have you for a mate.”

Of course Danneel knew just what they’d said to cause the most harm to Jared’s sensitive heart and she really wished that Jared would just let her at them, she would _love_ to give them a good piece of her mind but Jared wanted to keep the peace between his herd and his friends and he was truly worried that she might be trampled. _‘Really,’_ she huffed to herself, _‘they do not deserve Jared! I wonder if JDM is right and Jared really is adopted, cos that makes so much more sense. After all that would explain why Jared and his wonderful heart is related to those narrow-minded jerks!’_

Jared had never seen a soft sweet bunny look so murderous before but after one glance at the fierce look on Danneel’s face he found himself taking several fearful steps back. “Danneel, I know you don’t care much for my herd but please don’t unleash any dragons on them, they are still my family after all.”

After studying the pleading look on Jared’s face for a moment, Danneel was reminded of why JDM had affectionately nicknamed Jared ‘moose puppy’; she dared anyone to say no to those eyes. “Alright, I’ll try and remember to be nice to the jerks but that doesn’t mean I can’t give them dirty looks.” It would be the least that Jared could do to make her happy since he wouldn’t allow her to cause trouble.

Jared rolled his eyes in mock exasperation as he shook his head. “Who am I to deny you, Danni? Glare at them all you want.”

Stroking his ear suggestively Chad leered at Danneel. “It makes me tingly all over when you get bossy like that, care to head back to my hole and take control of me?”

Jared had heard some lame pick-up lines before because being friends with Chad meant that would happen and often, but this by far was the worst he’d ever heard the bunny use.

Danneel raised an eyebrow at the rabbit’s behaviour; while there was no denying that Chad could be a douche and a player, she had to admit that he _was_ cute. She thought about it for a moment, she hadn’t had a date for a while and it wasn’t like they were making a commitment or anything, just indulging in a bit of fun. Sliding up to Chad she rubbed her body against his, smirking with satisfaction as his right hind leg began thumping, “Alright Chad, as long as you promise to never use that line on me again,” Danneel purred out.

Chad looked like he had just given the keys to the kingdom while Jared knew his jaw was hanging open in shock. Danneel shot Chad a seductive look then tossed a wink at Jared before sashaying off her fluffy little tail twitching alluringly.

Chad’s punch against Jared’s leg didn’t hurt the huge animal but it did break Jared out of his spell of disbelief. “See you later, Jaybird,” the rabbit grinned. “I’ve got a lady to seduce,” and with a naughty waggle of his eyebrows Chad hopped off after Danneel.

Knowing that Chad was going to get lucky with Danneel only made Jared feel worse. _‘Huh, maybe I should start acting like Chad, then at least maybe I’d have a chance at finding someone.’_ As quickly as that thought came Jared dismissed it; it just wasn’t in him to act like a douchebag. For some reason being a douche worked for Chad; it seemed like the worse he got the more the ladies liked him.

Jared shrugged, _‘One of life’s great mysteries, I guess. Oh well it looks like I’ll be visiting Jeffery by myself_ although _it’s probably better this way. After all the last time Chad came with me Chris tried to barbeque him within five minutes.’_ The moose grinned to himself as he remembered watching Chad hop about like a mad bunny trying to avoid Chris’ quick bursts of flame that chased him around the dragon’s habitat.

******

In another part of the woods lived the unicorn known as Jensen; he was a member of the Ackles herd and at the moment he was not happy. Once again his mother and father had been pushing him to mate; they used to say “You’re not getting any younger, Jensen, and we would like grandchildren someday.” Then, after the last time he’d told them that the female unicorns did nothing for him they had begun tossing every available male unicorn his way, pointing out those they thought would be perfectly suitable for him to spend the rest of his life with.

“Jenny, you’ve got to relax! You know mom and dad are only trying to help you, they just want you to be happy like the rest of us,” Jensen’s brother Josh stated as he came up to Jensen and gentle butted him in the shoulder.

Jensen shot his brother a look that said yeah, he knew that his family wanted him to be happy but unlike his brother and sister, who were settled down with families, he just couldn’t find his one in his own herd. None of the unicorns he knew called to him and he refused to settle for anyone less than his true mate.

“I won’t mate with someone just to make our parents happy, Josh. I’m not interested in anyone unless they’re my other half and none of those that mom and dad introduce me to are the one. You know, I’ve been thinking that maybe he’s not even a unicorn,” Jensen mused out loud. It wasn’t unheard of for a unicorn to mate outside of their race because they weren’t like those stuck-up moose; they didn’t see themselves as superior to other four-legged creatures. It was a real possibility that maybe, just maybe Jensen had been looking in the wrong place for his soul mate.

A thoughtful look entered Josh’s eyes as he considered Jensen’s words; his brother could have a point. “Alright, since mom wants to hear the sound of little hoof-steps soon, I’ll cover for you while you sneak out and see if you can find your mate. With your luck they will probably stumble right into you.” Josh liked to tease his brother over the fact that every available unicorn ‘accidently’ managed to bump into him every single time they spotted him; it was getting to be rather embarrassing and Josh just loved the way it flustered Jensen.

“Laugh it up, big brother; you were just lucky that your mate was smart enough for the both of you. She had to tell you that you two were mating cos you weren’t smart enough to take the first step. Besides mom doesn’t need to hear the sound of any more hoof-steps, you and Kristy have given her enough!” Jensen loved his mom, he truly did, she was a great mom, but she was absolutely obsessed with Jensen making her a grandma, even though Josh and Kristy seemed to be determined to make their own herd!

Jensen’s sarcasm went right over the older moose’s head as he smiled. “Yeah, I sure lucked out when it came to Kristy.” The dreamy look that Josh got every time he thought of his mate made Jensen roll his eyes. He was happy for his brother but sometimes his on-going infatuation with his mate was a little sickening and worse, it reminded him that he was alone.

“Listen, while you daydream about your mate I’m going take off, get off some distance between mom and me before she brings out her next ideal candidate for me.” Jensen shuddered as he thought about making awkward small talk with another stranger and then froze in horror as he heard:

“Josh? Where are you, dear? Have you found Jensen yet? Bring him here, would you? I’d like him to meet Justin, I’m sure that they will get along wonderfully,” Donna called out and then added in a hopeful tone, “I really think he could be the one!”

It took all of Josh’s willpower not to laugh at the look of pure terror that froze on Jensen’s face. “Go on, run!” he hissed. “Get out of here, little bro, I’ll hold mom off for as long as I can. Maybe you should go visit the dragons? Hang with Chris for a while,” Josh suggested.

That actually sounded like a good idea, he would even put up with JDM’s knowing grin and teasing about why he was hiding if it meant avoiding yet of his mom’s set-ups. “Thanks Josh, I owe you one, a big one.”

The responding and highly suspect grin that Josh sent him had Jensen more than a little worried; Jensen didn’t think that unicorns were supposed to look that evil. “I’m gonna regret that, aren’t I?”

“Oh yeah!” Josh gloated. “I’m thinking you could baby-sit for me the next time that damn Misha feeds my fawns that fairy shit that makes them act like uncontrollable monsters,” he informed his brother gleefully. “You can chase after them all day.”

Now his brother was just being cruel; no one in their right mind wanted to be near Josh’s kids when they got into that stuff. They went from being perfectly well-behaved, intelligent little angels to holy terrors complete with eardrum-shattering screams and not even their grandma wanted to be around them when they got like that. However, if he wanted a little freedom Jensen knew that he was gonna have to take the deal. “Fine,” he agreed grudgingly. “You win, but you have to keep mom off my back for the rest of the week.”

Josh could live with that, heck, he could live with just about anything if it meant he wouldn’t have to deal with keeping his kids under control; they were due to visit their Uncle Misha over the weekend. “Deal, just remind me to kill Misha for feeding my kids that fairy chocolate, who knew that it would turn sweet little angels into pure terrors.”

_‘Sweet little angels, my horn! Those kids have a devious side that you’ve just turned a blind eye to.’_ Jensen wouldn’t dare tell his brother this bit of truth however; Josh truly believed that his beloved offspring could do no wrong and Jensen wasn’t going to ruin the illusion for his brother. _‘Besides they’ll either grow out of it or one of them will do something shocking and destroy that angel image my brother has got going on and I really hope that I have a front row seat for that eye-opener.’_

“Thanks man, I’ll be back a little later, you know, once the heat has died down,” Jensen promised and as his mom once again called out his name the young unicorn knew that it was time for him to get out of there before his mom dragged him to meet her latest choice for son-in-law.

Josh always knew that his brother was the fastest runner of the herd but watching as he ran like he had a horde of demons chasing after him Josh could only shake his head in wonder. He knew that it just wasn’t their mom Jensen was running from but the idea of finding a mate and settling down like a grown-up. “Someday bro you are going to have to stop running and give in to the inevitable.”

******

Jared would always say that he had no clue as to why he’d chosen to take a different route to Dragon Mountain that day. Okay, that was a lie; he knew why he wanted to take the long way, that path just so happened to cross into unicorn land. Ever since Jared was a young moose unicorns had fascinated him and he always loved to watch them frolic through the meadows. To him they were everything he wasn’t; they were so beautiful, graceful and elegant, and as for their horn? Really, who would want big heavy antlers that shed every spring when they could have a single beautiful horn that glittered in the sun?

And then, as if the Gods of the Forest heard his thoughts, from over the hill came a single figure that glowed in the surrounding sunlight. It took a moment for Jared to realise that in the midst of the light was a unicorn, the most beautiful unicorn he’d ever seen. Jared found all his breathe robbed from his throat as he could only gaze in awe at the incredible sight, which is why it never crossed Jared’s mind that he should get out of the middle of the pathway as the unicorn came barrelling down the hill at full speed heading right for him.

Jensen’s mind was filled with images of what his perfect mate might look like as he galloped along and having used this path hundreds of times he didn’t really need to pay attention to his surroundings. Suddenly he saw something ahead of him but it took a moment to focus and then his eyes widened as he realised too late that the he was heading towards a very handsome looking moose. “Get out of the wa...!” he yelled but his warning came too late as he crashed full body into the moose and they went down in a heap of scrambled limbs.

Lying on the ground trying to catch his breath, Jared could only stare in awe at the unicorn tangled up against him, he’d never been so close to one before and the effect was intoxicating. He wasn’t sure what the gold spots were on the unicorn’s coat but he really liked them and he really, _really_ wanted to lick them. "I like your spots." As soon as the words escaped his mouth Jared wanted to bang his head against the nearest tree till his antlers fell off. _‘I can’t believe_ _I just said those words out loud!’_ He didn't want the magnificent creature in front of him to think he was an idiot.

To Jared's utter delight the unicorn’s checks darkened with what could only be a blush and Jared really hoped that it was a good sign and that the unicorn wasn’t angry with him because the last thing Jared wanted to do was insult this wonderful creature.

Whatever Jensen had been expecting the moose to say that hadn’t been it, but the comment did intrigue him. “Um, thank you, no one but my mother has ever said that to me before.” He wanted to be mad at the big lummox for standing in the middle of the path but then he made the mistake of looking into those multi-coloured eyes; they reminded him of a field full of sunflowers. He also noticed that those eyes were looking at him in awe and in return he realised that this moose was simply beautiful, from his two massive antlers to his strong jaw and from his muscular body to his long legs.

Despite what Jensen would forever claim and what Jared would forever deny, Jared did _not_ swoon at the sound of Jensen’s voice. Well, maybe it was a good thing that he was already lying on the ground considering he didn’t think he could move given how weak his knees felt. “I’m... um… I’m Jared.” Okay, so Jared was a little embarrassed that it took him so long to remember his own name but he didn’t think anyone would blame him for being speechless in the face of such perfection.

_‘Jared,’_ Jensen ran the name over in his head and he nodded, _‘it suits him,’_ and he found it utterly adorable how tongue-tied Jared seemed to be around him. Usually that bothered him but he forgot all about it when he saw Jared looking up at him like he was the most amazing thing ever. That look of pure passion sent a warm feeling all throughout the unicorn’s body and he couldn’t stop himself as his lips curled into a smirk and he drawled out, “Well, hello there, Jared, I’m Jensen and it was a pleasure running into you.”

Jared wanted to whimper, honest to god he wanted to whimper because he could tell that Jensen was a creature of pure sin fallen from heaven and Jared wanted to continue falling with him.

Now normally Jensen didn’t like to use his good looks and considerable charms on poor unsuspecting souls unless they were the ones his mom set him up with, they were fair game, but he had to admit that he was enjoying the effect he was having on Jared. “And where is such a glorious creature like yourself headed to today? I’m surprised your mate let you out all by yourself; one never knows when someone might develop a taste for pretty moose.”

A part of Jared wondered if he should feel offended at being called pretty, after all, he was really quite rugged, but when it came from Jensen… well, he was okay with the compliment. “I um… you see…There is no one.”

Jensen cocked an eyebrow. “I find that hard to believe.”

“I’m not your typical moose,” Jared admitted in a soft voice.

Watching the sparkle fade from Jared’s eyes and pain replace his joy as he spoke Jensen felt the need to hunt down whoever made such a broken look appear in his eyes. In his heart the unicorn knew that Jared wasn’t meant to be sad; he was meant to be happy. He nudged Jared with his nose until their eyes met, “Then their loss is my gain, my friend. Anyone who can’t see what amazing moose you are, well then they’re either blind or stupid.”

Jared felt a sense of warmth sweep over him at Jensen’s words, a sensation that was intensified by the look in his eyes, but then that nasty little voice in the back of his head chose that moment to speak up, _‘He says that now but just wait until he gets to know you. Then he will see what the rest_ _of your herd sees: a freak of a moose.’_ Try as he might Jared couldn’t help but think the voice might be right, as usual. “You don’t even know me, I’m nothing special, I can barely stay on my own two feet without tripping over something. I mean I didn’t even think to move out of the way when I saw you coming.” No, even an idiot knew that someone as perfect as Jensen didn’t need a dumb clodhopper of a moose hanging around and embarrassing him.

Jensen didn’t know who had told Jared those things but whoever they were if he met them he would give them a thrashing they wouldn’t forget. “That is utter crap! So what if you’re a little clumsy? I think it’s cute and I was just as much at fault as you were for our unusual meeting. I could have slowed down when I reached the top of the hill but I didn’t. I just went barrelling down without a care in the world. Don’t let those idiots win, I think you’re amazing,” Jensen stated passionately, hoping it was enough to convince Jared that he truly meant it.

Jared’s friends had all told him the same thing more than once and he had tried taking their words to heart but for some reason hearing such encouragement from Jensen the hurtful words he had heard all his life didn’t seem to matter as much. “I’ll try. Thank you, Jensen. Um… listen, I’m heading over to visit the dragons, would you like to come with me? We could get to know one another a little better,” Jared asked hoping against hope that Jensen would say yes.

Jensen’s mouth curled into a smile that nearly made the moose swoon. “Well that just happens to be where I was heading and yes, I would love the company of a beautiful moose by my side.” Jensen wanted to learn everything he could about Jared.

Jared’s eyes lit up like fireworks and like the puppy he was always compared to he bounded to his feet. “Then let’s get going!”

_‘He’s so cute! Mom is going to eat him up.’_ Jensen never thought that he would think of anyone as big and gangly as his new friend as cute but it fit Jared to a ‘T’. The young moose reminded him of a happy puppy eager to please and he just wanted to take him home and show him how special he was. _‘Once Mom meets him she is never going to let him go home again.’_ Which suited Jensen just fine because if he had it his way Jared wouldn’t be going anywhere without him ever again. “It’s a long walk to the Dragon Mountain so what do you want to talk about?” The besotted unicorn regained his feet and brushed himself off.

Jared was in awe with the natural grace that Jensen showed as he climbed to his feet; he was right, the unicorn was truly remarkable. Deciding that he didn’t want to waste any time, the moose took a bold approach. “I want to know everything about you,” Jared declared.

The sound of Jensen’s laughter filled the air and Jared vowed to make Jensen laugh like that as often as possible.

Jensen gazed fondly at Jared. “Well it’s a good thing that we have a long trip because I want to know everything there is to know about you too.”

******

Not much surprised Jeffery Dean Morgan anymore, after being alive for centuries he had pretty much seen it all but having Chad arrive before Jared and then hop around boasting about Danneel finally giving into his charms was certainly something new. _‘The little fur ball really is douche,’_ the dragon concluded.

“Someone really needs to talk to Danneel about her taste in bunnies if she’s shacking up with Chad of all people,” Jeffery’s mate Chris sneered out. He and Chad definitely were not what one would call friends, especially when one considered the number of times that Chris had tried to barbeque the rabbit for being a real pain in the ass. On the other hand, most of those fire-breathing moments were well deserved since Chad never shied away from deliberately annoying Chris.

“Hey man, don’t be hating the love skills that you in all of your _centuries_ of living could never hope to have,” Chad mocked the ancient creature. “I can’t help it that the ladies just looove the Chad,” and he waggled his eyebrows up and down suggestively while preening his long ears.

Chris rolled his eyes at Chad and sniffed with utter disdain. “Yes, because I am simply _green_ with envy at your sleazy ways.” Sarcasm literally dripped from his voice. “I don’t need questionable charms like _yours_ , rabbit; I have my own skills. After all I did get Jeffery as my mate.” The bronze dragon pointed out with a superior air about him. “No one could hope for a more loving and beloved mate and I didn’t have to act like a complete douche to win him over.”

“Hey!” Chad’s whiskers bristled as he finally realised that he was being insulted. “I oughta…”

Jeff knew that it was time for him to step in before Chris attempted to fry Chad… again. “Alright, you two, that is enough!” Jeffery rumbled as he climbed to his feet and stretched out his massive black wings. “Chris, you know that Jared likes Chad so I ask you, do you really want to face those puppy eyes if you toast his best friend?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. As one of the elder dragons he wasn’t supposed to have favourites especially outside of the dragons themselves, but that was before he had met a young moose that acted more like a bouncy puppy out in the park than a majestic creature of the forest.

Despite Jeff’s best attempts to ignore him, the moose had wormed his way into the dragon’s heart. Jared was something special and he only hoped that someday soon his wonderful friend found that special someone to help him see how truly unique and exceptional he was before the cruel words of his herd destroyed his spirit beautiful forever.

Chris did indeed know the power of Jared’s puppy eyes, and it was beyond him how a grown moose could make such sad eyes without making himself look silly. Jeff had tried several times to explain it to his mate but finally gave up, accepting the fact that despite his intelligence, Chris would just never understand. “Then I guess it’s a good thing Jared only uses his powers to keep the bunny here from being fried.”

As if simply speaking of Jared had the magic to summon him the trio smiled as they heard Jared’s animated chatter filling the air as he approached them through the trees. However it was the answering voice, lower in tone than the moose’s, that had Jeffery and Chris exchanging curious looks while Chad’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“Who’s that with Jaybird?” the bunny demanded to know just as Jared came into view and he was shocked to see an unfamiliar unicorn walking next to him. Chad disliked him on the spot. _‘I don’t care who he is, if_ _he hurts Jared I’m unleashing Danneel on him!’_ Chad silently vowed.

Seeing the fire of challenge combined with a hint of jealousy appear in the rabbit’s eyes, Chris had to admit that one of the few things he actually liked about Chad was his loyalty to Jared. “Don’t worry, Jensen is mostly harmless,” he grinned at Chad.

Without taking his eyes off of his friend, Chad snorted. “Yeah, well, it’s the _mostly_ part I’m worried about and you should be too, if you have any sense. Danneel is vicious when protecting her moose-puppy. In fact, she can be downright scary,” Chad shivered in remembrance of the first time he had met Jared. Being his normal outspoken and flippant self even when he was wee kit, he’d made the mistake of hurting little Jared’s feelings and Danneel might have been young as well, but she already had a mean left paw and sharp teeth. Chad still had the teeth marks on his right ear.

No one with any brain in his head wanted to be on Danneel’s bad side; Chris had once stated that she was actually a huge fiery dragon trapped in a soft little bunny’s body and that she cleverly used her smallness and cuteness to her advantage.

“Jared, good to see you, my friend! I was getting worried when Chad beat you here,” Jeffery spoke up breaking the moment between the two.

“JD!” Jared’s eyes lit up as they landed on the dragon and he cheerfully bounced over to his old friend.

The air filled with Jeff’s laughter as Jared skidded to a stop next to him and gave his usually greeting of nuzzling against Jeff’s side. The dragon flashed a smile filled with long shiny teeth as he took in the unicorn standing just a few feet away and glaring ferociously at those gathered too close his moose. Jeff cocked his head as he realised that Jensen was jealous, very jealous in fact and then he felt a kernel of happiness start building within him as he understood. _‘He’s the one! This unicorn is the one Jared’s been waiting for all this time.’_

Jeff watched the way Jensen never took his eyes off the moose as he greeted Chris and Chad with his usual enthusiasm. _'He might be good match for Jared; he’s already showing the strong possessive side one gets when around their mate.’_ Deciding to explore the situation further, the dragon nodded at the unicorn. “Jensen, I didn’t know you knew our moose-puppy.”

The sight of Jared tucked snugly against JDM already had Jensen bristling but when he heard the dragon use his moose’s nickname Jensen was sure that his fur was standing up on its ends like porcupine quills. “We just met.” Jensen managed to force the words out from between gritted teeth; he _really_ did not like the idea of Jared being so close to anyone but him.

Chad couldn't understand how Jared could curl up against JDM's side and not get flambéed by a rather overprotective Chris. It was a well-known fact that dragons were very possessive over what they considered to be their treasure and nothing in their lives was more highly regard and protected than their mate. It was a nice sentiment and every now and again Chad wondered if he’d ever feel that way about someone but then he’d remember how much fun he had chasing the ladies.

Time and time again the rabbit had watched as Jared got cuddles from the big bad golden dragon without a whiff of BBQ in the air. "I don't get it, man, how come Jared is allowed to get away with that?” He pointed to the moose, who was currently rubbing his antlers against the soft leathery underside of the dragon’s wing. “You nearly made rabbit stew outta me for daring to sniff one of your shiny baubles, so how come Jaybird can get away with that kind of stuff?" Chad asked Chris with his nose twitching indignantly.

Chris let out a deep breath, smoke billowing up from his snout in perfectly shaped rings. There was no denying that at first he’d had a few issues with the way Jeff and Jared showed their friendship for one another but he’d come to accept that it meant nothing and he tried to explain that to the rabbit. "Have you ever tried to tell Jared no? The first time I did the poor kid looked like a kicked puppy when he flashed me those big sad eyes and I couldn't stay mad. Plus I know that Jeffery's heart is completely mine just as mine is his, and I also know that he sees Jared as nothing but his hatchling. Just between you and me,” and the dragon lowered his voice, “I think Jared needs a strong father figure in his life to offset his pushy mother.”

Chad laughed heartily, his back foot thumping the ground as he agreed with Chris’ spot-on opinion of Jared’s mother.

Hearing Chris’ heartfelt words about the love he shared with Jeff softened Jensen’s jealousy a little, not a lot but a little; he liked the fact that Jared had such good friends. From what he’d learned about Jared on their journey to the dragon’s compound, he didn’t fit in with his herd simply because he wanted to have friends outside of his own kind. Jensen had actually come to a halt in the middle of the path as he tried to  understand how anyone could treat Jared like that.

“Jensen, are you okay?” Jared asked as he wandered away from JD’s side and back to his new friend where he nuzzled the unicorn’s neck; as much as he normally liked getting cuddles from the dragon suddenly they just didn’t feel the same as being next to Jensen.

The moment Jared was back with him Jensen felt himself relax and he welcomed the moose’s touch; this was where Jared belonged by his side and only his side. “I’m doing much better _now_ ; I don’t like you getting cuddles from anyone but me.” He was surprised by how easily he admitted his feelings for his moose.

That unexpected revelation had Jared’s eyes widening as hope bloomed in his chest. “We haven’t cuddled yet,” Jared pointed out quietly, “But I don’t want to cuddle with anyone but you either,” Jared confessed in a soft voice as he leaned against his unicorn.

Jensen felt a powerful surge of want fill him as he heard Jared admit that he was the only one he wanted to cuddle with, and with a wide grin he moved to nuzzle Jared only to feel a sharp bite against his ankle. “Ow!”

“Chad!” Jared was astounded by the rabbit’s behaviour; he couldn’t believe that Chad would bite Jensen. “What was that for?”

Ruffling up his fur to look bigger and more threatening, Chad glared up at the unicorn making the moves on his best friend. “Hold it! There will be no cuddling of any kind! I may be loose and sleep with as many lady bunnies as I can but Jaybird is special and unless you are dead serious about him there will be no cuddling of any kind happening here! Don’t make me unleash Danneel on you,” Chad threatened, “cos I will if I have to!”

Jensen wasn’t sure what a ‘Danneel’ was but he didn’t think it was that much of a threat compared to the fiery breath of the dragons. “Listen, fluff ball,” he very gently poked the rabbit with the tip of his horn, “I am serious about Jared, I may have just met him but a unicorn knows who our mate is the moment we meet them and I know that Jared is it for me. So if I want to cuddle with my mate, I’m damn well going cuddle, snuggle and nuzzle my mate!” Jensen declared passionately.

Concentrating on glaring down at Chad and with his chest panting furiously from his passionate declaration, Jensen almost missed Jared’s soft question, “I’m your mate?”

Turning Jensen’s scowl faded instantly to be replaced with something much softer and more intimate. “Yeah, Jay, you’re my mate. Is that okay with you? Are you happy about that?” Sudden fear gripped Jensen, what if he’d read the signals wrong? What if Jared didn’t want to be mated to him?

Any doubts Jensen might have had were washed away when he had a full-grown moose tackled him to the ground and began covering him with kisses. “Are you kidding me? Of course I’m happy that you’re my mate! You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to find you and you Jensen, you are everything I could ever want in a mate.” Then it was Jared’s turn to look worried as that pesky inner voice made itself known again by reminding him that he was making a fool of himself. Jared ignored it as best he could, but just in case he asked, “Are you sure you want to be stuck with me for a mate? I’m not really the greatest catch, you know; someone as beautiful as you, well… I’m sure you could do better.”

That was the moment Jensen found himself mentally destroying those who’d made his Jared doubt himself; in his mind he was stabbing them over and over again with his horn. Shaking his head and forcing the images to the very back of his mind he hastened to reassure his precious moose. “Jared, please believe me when I say that you are perfect in my eyes and I know in my heart that I could never ask for a better mate. I find your puppiness absolutely adorable and as far as I’m concerned, I hope you never change,” Jensen murmured as he nuzzled the side of Jared’s neck.

As he watched his best friend bloom and come to life from the soft words and gentle touches, Chad realised that he was witnessing the birth of something very special. “I hate to admit it but they are kinda cute together, you know in a sickeningly sweet kinda way.”

“Yeah they are” Chris spoke up before his partner, agreeing with Chad. “But at the same time have you thought about how Jared’s herd is going to react to this news? Or all the other moose for that matter? It’s no secret that, I mean let’s face it, besides Jared, they’re a rather stuck-up bunch who firmly believe that they are the only race that matters,” he pointed out regretfully.

Wisps of white smoke escaped JDM’s nostrils as he let out a deep sigh. “It’s not going to be easy for them to become accepted amongst his own kind and Jared is going to need all the support we can give him, but most importantly he’s going to need Jensen’s love to help him along.” Jeff’s heart went out to Jared; his favourite moose was in for a rough time once his herd found out about the two of them.

******

When he talked about it much later Jared would admit that he truly dreaded heading back to his herd, he knew there was going to be some very obnoxious moose. He had been so thankful and highly amused when Danneel showed up shortly after Jared and Jensen had arrived. Ask anyone present at the time and they will all tell you that it had been so much fun to watch as the feminine little bunny, which barely came up to Jensen’s ankles, gave him a detailed list of just what she would do to him if the unicorn dared to break the heart of her moose-puppy. Jared would later confess that her very descriptive uses for Jensen’s horn were really rather imaginative, to say the least.

There wasn’t a soul present in the dragon’s glade who knew that a unicorn could pale so fast. In fact Jensen let out a tiny whimper and actually wobbled on his feet for a moment, making Chris think he might just faint. _‘Do unicorns pass out?’_ he wondered to himself even as he prepared to step in if necessary. He was pretty sure he could do mouth-to-mouth without too much flame involved.

When it was time for the little gathering to break up, Jensen had made it clear that he was personally seeing Jared home; he wasn’t ready to be parted from his moose just as Jared wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Jensen either. Jared glanced nervously at Jensen. “I’m sorry in advance for how my family is going to act,” Jared whispered as they grew closer to the moose lands.

Jensen could feel the almost overwhelming tension that was filling Jared and he didn’t like it one little bit; he should be happy not sad. He should be overjoyed that he’d finally found his heart’s one desire and he should be looking forward to celebrating his good fortune with family and friends. Before they left JDM, who knew exactly what they would be facing, had taken him aside and without pulling any punches had warned him that Jared was the outcast in his herd.

The ancient dragon explained that Jared was cruelly shunned for daring to befriend other races, and as for bringing home a mate that wasn’t a moose, well he was afraid that Jared would be lucky if he were even allowed back in his herd’s compound. It made Jensen slightly nauseous to think that any family could possibly chose their public image over their own flesh and blood, but seeing how upset Jared was becoming the closer they got to his home, Jensen wasn’t so sure.

“Jared! Where have you been, young moose? I hope you haven’t been bringing shame to us by hanging out with lesser creatures?” the alpha male of the herd grumbled in a deep voice as he stalked towards Jared.

Jared trembled as Mark grew closer, the alpha frightened him his hatred of other races was well known and documented and the rest of the herd followed his leave.

Mark’s eyes narrowed as he took notice of the unicorn standing next to Jared. “And who is this? You know we don’t allow riff-raff on our lands,” Mark reminded Jared in a snotty tone even as he cast a sneering glance at Jensen. The look on his face screamed that the unicorn wasn’t even worthy of being the dirt beneath his hooves.

Jared stiffened as the impotent rage that he had been carrying deep inside him for so long finally erupted in all its power and glory. It was one thing to look at him with disdain and to treat him like he was a freak, but there was no way in hell that he was going to let them treat Jensen as though he were anything less than wonderful! “Don’t you _dare_ talk about Jensen like that, you pretentious bully! He’s positively amazing! You aren’t even _half_ the animal that he is and I am proud to be his mate!”

The moment the words were out of his mouth Jared knew he had said the wrong thing as horrified gasps and shocked whispers spread throughout the herd. Looking around frantically he finally spotted his family, they were huddled together behind Mark and each one of them was looking at him with a mixture of disbelief and betrayal.

Mark raked his eyes over Jared with utter contempt. “I should have known that you would bring about more shame to this herd; that is all you have ever been good for. You have been nothing but a complete disappointment to this herd since the day you were calved. As far as I am concerned we should have disowned you long, long ago.” Mark turned his sneer on to Jensen. “And as far as you are concerned, _unicorn,”_ the scorn he felt for the beautiful creature dripped from his voice, _“_ you are not welcome here.”

Jensen felt a growl rumble deep in his chest as he watched Jared’s eyes lose more and more of their shine the longer he was berated by Mark. Having heard more than enough he moved to stand protectively in front of Jared. “Don’t you _dare_ speak to Jared like that!” He scanned the assembled herd. “You all think you’re so special when you’re nothing but great bullies! You should all be lucky to have someone like Jared as a part of your family! He’s brilliant and funny and caring and if none of you can see that then you are nothing but blind fools.”

Jared felt his heart pounding like thunder in his chest as he listened to Jensen defend him so passionately; his mate was amazing and as he felt the love pouring off the unicorn it gave him the strength he needed to take a good, hard look at his herd. Lifting his head the moose caught his parent’s eyes before focusing on Mark. “If you can’t accept that Jensen is my mate, if you can’t understand that it is possible to fall in love with someone outside of the herd, then I don’t want to be a part of this herd anymore,” Jared declared in a firm voice and he realised with shock that he actually meant it.

While it was true that he would miss his herd and especially his family, he knew that with his beloved unicorn he could live without them. But he couldn’t live without Jensen by his side, the love he felt for his mate, the other half of his heart that he’d waited for for so very long, that love outweighed all other considerations and he knew that he would chose Jensen over anyone and everyone.

“Jared, honey, surely you don’t mean that!” Sharon, his mom, spoke up although she didn’t approach him, preferring to stand with her mate and other children, partially hidden behind Mark. “Why don’t you stop all of this foolishness and come home; we’ll forget all this happened and in the morning we’ll start looking again, okay? There are plenty of more suitable mates for you here and you know it. I promise that we will all forgive you if you denounce this...” She nodded her antlers in Jensen’s direction, “…this unicorn.”

With a deep sigh, Jared shook his head. “I’m sorry mom, but I won’t give up Jensen, not for you, not for anyone. He is my mate and I love him.”

“Jared, son, please lis…”

Mark interrupted Jared’s father. “Then you leave us with no choice, Jared, you are no longer a part of this herd,” he declared in a strong voice.

From the moment he’d arrived at the moose compound Jared knew that that edict had been coming but it still hurt to finally hear the words; he was now homeless.

As if he was reading his mate’s mind Jensen gently butted his head against Jared’s, “You aren’t homeless, silly, you will always have a home with me and the others,” Jensen pointed out softly.

While the sadness didn’t leave Jared’s eyes completely and Jensen knew that would take time, it did lessen quite a bit. “Yeah, I have you,” Jared agreed, his eyes softening as he regarded Jensen. That look lasted for only a moment before fear suddenly appeared in his eyes as he asked in a worried tone, “Will your herd welcome me? Us?”

Jensen snorted happily. “Trust me, my mom is gonna love you! If you’re not careful she will baby you like there’s no tomorrow.”

Jared wasn’t going to lie, that sounded _wonderful_.

******

“Jensen! Where have you been, young unicorn? Oh, who is your handsome friend? Hello, dear, I’m Donna, Jensen’s poor suffering mother.” That was the greeting Jensen and Jared received as they finally made their way into land of the unicorns.

Jensen positively beamed as he gazed with limpid eyes at Jared and stroked his horn across his antlers. Donna’s breath caught in her throat as she watched her son, she knew that look, it was how she looked at Alan. “Jensen? Is this strapping moose your mate?” She mentally crossed her hooves, having hoped for this moment for so long.

Jensen’s gaze remained fondly on his moose as he answered, “Yes, mom, this is Jared, my mate.”

Donna was simply beside herself at Jensen’s news. “Oh honey, I’m so happy to hear that! Jared, it is an honour to meet you; Welcome to the family. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment. I was beginning to lose hope that my little Jellybean would ever find a mate. Jared Oh I have so many stories to tell you about Jensen when he was a young unicorn.” Donna felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes; she was so happy that her baby had finally found his mate.

To his horror Jensen felt his cheeks heating up. “Mom! Please wait a couple of days before you start telling Jared my embarrassing stories and showing him my baby toys. I don’t want you scaring him off just yet!” Jensen pleaded.

Jared gently nudged Jensen with a teasing glint in his eyes. “Now Jensen, don’t be rude to your mother; I’m looking forward to hearing all about these awkward stories about you.”

Donna beamed at Jared and then turned to shoot her son a look. “I like him; you really lucked out on him, Jensen. I hope you know that.”

Jared sent Jensen an adoring look and gently corrected her. “No ma’am, it was me who lucked out. I thought I would be alone for the rest of my life and then this beautiful creature simply bowled me over.”

Jensen snorted with laughter as he remembered the way he and Jared had met. “That’s putting it mildly.”

Donna let out a happy coo. “Oh I can’t wait to tell your father, and your brother and sister and the rest of the family and the whole herd. This is indeed a happy day!”

Smiling Jensen rubbed his head against Jared’s, “Just watch,” he whispered. “Next she’s going to bring up giving her grandbabies.”

Sure enough the next words out of Donna’s mouth were, “Now, Jensen and Jared, let’s talk about the pitter-patter of little hooves, shall we?”

The ache in Jared’s heart caused by being kicked out of his herd and losing his family would take a long time to lessen and even with the passage of time it would always be there, tucked far, far away, but with the loving support of Jensen, his friends and his new family he would be able to get through anything.

The end

 


End file.
